1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and system for storing and collecting separated solid waste; and, more particularly, to a chambered container for storing separated solid waste and to a system for collecting prior separated solid waste.
2. Field of the Invention
It is well known that many waste products are recyclable; that is, they can be reprocessed into new products at a small fraction of their original cost of manufacture. This results in a substantial savings to both the manufacturer and the consumer and significant conservation of valuable natural resources.
A substantial quantity of recyclable waste, for example, aluminum cans, glass, various plastic articles, paper, etc. is generated by consumers; however, consumers usually dispose of this waste by placing it into trash cans or bags along with their ordinary trash to be picked up and disposed of by a municipal or private trash collection agency. Because the recyclable waste is mixed in with ordinary trash, separation of the recyclable articles from the ordinary trash is difficult, and the recyclable waste is usually disposed of by the collection agency either by being incinerated or by being deposited into a landfill along with the ordinary trash.
Procedures are available whereby the consumer can separate his recyclable waste from ordinary trash. Typically, however, the consumer must further separate different types of recyclable waste from one another and either deliver the separated recyclable waste to specific collection points or have them separately picked up. This is an inconvenient and time-consuming chore and, as a result, many consumers do not practice this procedure.
Containers having a plurality of sections or compartments for separately storing different types of trash are known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,013. Typically, however, such containers are rather large and bulky requiring substantial space and being difficult to handle. Also, the incorporation of such containers into a conventional trash collection system can significantly complicate the trash collection process. For example, the handling of such containers usually requires rather substantial modification of the trash collection vehicle.